


Out of my league

by I_M_Bunnys



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: BFFs, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, IgNoct, Love at First Sight, M/M, will update tags as we go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-01-07 00:19:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12221916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_M_Bunnys/pseuds/I_M_Bunnys
Summary: Modern Day AU- Still Insomnia but no royalty-The Chocobros are twenty somethings and starting their adult life. Noctis doesn't know what he wants or where he's going but once he sees/meets Ignis he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep him close.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I had an idea and here it is. Not sure how long or graphic this will get but I will update the tags as I go along. Hopefully you enjoy it :].

Noctis isn’t too fond of the wool scarf that’s wrapped around his neck and scratching the hell out of his freshly shaved face. No matter how many times he tries to adjust it it’s just too damn cold to expose any skin so he winces and trudges down the block. The wind chill is ridiculous tonight. He swears his fingertips are tinted blue even with his leather gloves on. In the distance he can see an unusual blast of white light glowing into the street. 

_That must be it._ He gets closer and watches as pods of bundled up hipsters hand their coats over to some attendants, straighten out their vintage-ish looking threads and make way for the guest of honor. Noctis was never one for art or fashion. He liked to keep things sleek normally; all black fitted everything. Simple, refined, and comfortable. But tonight was special so under all of his layers was an all black three piece suit with an expensive chocobo tie clip to top off his look. 

Tonight he was supporting Prompto at his first big art exhibition. Noctis was happy for his best friend. He never doubted his talents and always admired the blonde for his go-getter attitude. Seems the kid had been dealt the worst cards in life but he never lost his motivation. Even when Prompto didn’t know what he wanted or what he was going to do he always seemed to make the best decisions. Noctis wished he could say the same for himself- his cushy upbringing saved him from all the bad decisions he made. He was still trying to figure his life out and he hated how long it was taking. All of his friends were way into adulthood and here he was, just kind of coasting. 

Noctis pushes any negative thoughts he has as far back as he can into some wrinkle in his brain that’s keeping all of his dumb embarrassing memories. The heat of the art studio is quick to envelop him and instantly he claws at the damn wool scarf, happy to hand it off along with his heavy ass peacoat that he probably will only wear tonight. Prompto’s work is displayed on various walls and standing displays. Noctis knows all of them. There’s not a piece that his friend has worked on that Noctis hasn’t looked at first. His eyes weren’t really trained to properly review art but he was well versed in honesty and reassurance, two of the many things that Prompto loved about his best friend. 

There’s a spotlight towards the back of the room shining on a small crowd. 

_How thirsty and hungry can these people get looking at pictures?_ Noctis thinks when he notices everyone’s hands are filled with cup and napkin. He sees Prompto smiling and making small talk with the people around him. They lock eyes and Prompto gives him a look of relief followed by a wave of his hand. Noctis takes quicker steps while Prompto excuses himself from the group. 

“Happy you could make it! I’m running out of things to say to people,” Prompto laughs.

“What? You? Run out of things to say? No way!” They both sigh and survey the room together. 

“Pretty sweet turn out huh? I only invited a few people and told them to bring a plus one then this happened,” Prompto motions to the people filing from display to display. “Or, maybe they’re just here for the free food.. Crap.” 

“Dude they are not. The food is tiny. Plus, seems like everyone’s really digging your photos. You have some bids on the pieces upfront.” 

“Really?” The blonde sighs. “Th-That’s good then. I know people like my stuff online but I don’t know, I was afraid I’d have one of those traumatic moments where you invite people to your birthday then no one shows up.” 

“You’ll always have at least _one_ person show up,” Noctis smirks. He tugs on his vest for extra asshole effect when suddenly the best thing he’s ever seen in his life crosses his line of sight. 

“Pfft, Noct.. ok yeah I know I can always count on you.” The silence that lingers after Prompto’s reply is way too long for comfort and the blonde turns his focus completely on his friend. Noctis is frozen, staring into space. 

“Noct.” 

Nothing. 

“Noctis.” 

Still nothing. He’s not even blinking.

“Hey!” Prompto shoves him and Noctis jumps and grabs his friend’s arm. 

“What happened?” He asks holding onto the bandana on Prompto’s bicep. 

“That’s what I want to ask you. You zoned out, majorly zoned out.” 

Noctis’ eyes dart to the other side of the room where, if he squints, he’s sure he can see his soul that was just sucked out of him now following this incredibly gorgeous model of a human being. Prompto follows his gaze and just as he’s about to say something Noctis blurts out: 

“Do you know him?” 

The blonde smiles. “Yeah I know him, pretty well actually.” 

_Oh._ Noctis can’t hide the disappointment on his face. In a split second he’s already created some long winded back story for the hot guy. He’s imagining Prompto in that guy’s ridiculously fancy flat overlooking Insomnia, rolling over satin sheets in his king size bed where they share the last two cigs in the pack after a long night of passionate kisses…

“NOCT!” 

“Uhh.. yeah sorry. So… are you trying to get at that or what?” A blush sweeps across Noctis’ face and it’s pretty cute. A grown man in an expensive looking three piece suit, as bashful as ever in front of his best friend. 

Prompto puts his hands on his hips and gives Noctis a look. The what the fuck look. 

“No, I’m not trying to get at that. I take his cooking class on the weekends. Remember I told you about it?” 

“About the cooking class but you didn’t say your teacher was heaven personified.” Noctis knows his mouth is open. He’s aware that he’s really close to drooling but he’s in front of Prompto and in front of Prompto he can do almost anything without feeling uncomfortable. “Would you… would it be cool if I...tried??” 

Prompto laughs and slaps Noctis on the back. 

“Dude I have an exhibit to run tonight so I can’t play wing man but if that’s what you want to do you have my blessing.” After a few more words of encouragement Prompto is off to make nice with his fans leaving Noctis to fend for himself. 

The hottest guy ever is rounding the displays and getting closer to where Noctis is standing. His hair is perfect. The way his suspenders rest on his shoulders and hug his body accentuating the curve of his hips is maddening. The top three buttons of his shirt are left open exposing his collar bones. Noctis didn’t know he had a thing for collar bones until now. He thinks he might have a fetish because all he wants to do is sink his teeth into them and leave bite marks all over….

“Is this piece one of your favorites?” the hot guy asks way closer than he was a few seconds ago. It makes sense considering he was moving through the gallery while Noctis stood there gaping at open space. Noctis tries to regain his composure. Fortunately most people think Noctis comes off cool and stoic so maybe he can still save this. 

“Nah-- my favorite piece of Prom’s isn’t hanging in here,” Noctis replies. 

“Is that so? Are you two….?” 

Noctis interjects quickly, “He’s my best friend. Back when we were in high school he took some shots of this arcade we used to play at. Those are my favorite.” 

The hot guy places his gloved hand on his chin and nods with approval. “I see. Photos that evoke good memories, you must be a sentimental type.” 

Noctis is breathing better now. He’s actually having a conversation with the hottest guy in the world. He feels good, his confidence is building. He starts walking alongside hot guy admiring all of the photos at the hot guy’s pace. 

“Is this your first time seeing Prompto’s art?” Noctis asks. 

“No not at all. I am truly a fan of his. He has a lot of talent.” Hearing that lifts a weight off of Noctis’ shoulders. He’s happy that this guy genuinely respects his friend’s work. _Prom will be happy to hear this feedback._. They keep walking making idle chatter until they’ve made a full circle and reach the front of the exhibit. 

“Sorry to take so much of your time this evening…” Hot guy pauses, “What was your name?” 

“Noctis. My name is Noctis Caelum. And you made my evening, really… ummm your name?” Noctis grins and scratches the back of his head sheepishly. 

“Ignis. Ignis Scientia. It’s my pleasure, Noctis.” 

Ignis’ voice is like butter. Noctis looks into Ignis’ green eyes and prays to the six that Ignis can’t see him unraveling. He wants to pull him close. He wants to run away with him. He wants tell Ignis that not only has he unconsciously stolen his soul but his heart is pretty close to jumping out through his throat and offering itself to the hot guy for all eternity. 

Noctis doesn’t say or do any of that of course. 

Instead he hopes this will come out smoother than it sounds in his head:

“So Ignis.. Umm, my favorite shots. They’re hanging up in my apartment if you’d like to see more?” 

_Oh gods was that lame?_ Noctis tries his best to maintain his composure. He’s a good looking guy too. Who knows? Ignis might like people who are forward.

Ignis’ lips curl upwards. His change in expression is subtle but Noctis thinks he’s either thinking “This douchebag really thinks he’s on my level” or he’s really into the idea of going home with him. 

“Hm, well the night is still young after all. I’ll be happy to accompany you.” 

Noctis _almost_ squeals with giddiness. In the corner of his eye he can see Prompto shaking his head. He’s sure Prompto can read his thoughts just by looking at him so he doesn’t bother to say goodbye. The two men grab their coats from the coat check and Noctis wraps himself with his stupidly itchy scarf preparing for the cold. As they step out, Ignis places his gloved hand on the small of Noctis’ back. 

“Lead the way, Noct.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis brings Ignis back to his place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos <3! Gosh, I really hope you all enjoy this chapter because I was kind of delirious writing it. Had a long weekend. 
> 
> Like Noct, I'm not too good with my words BUT hopefully the feelings get through. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_Sea foam? Aquamarine? Jade?_ Images of paint swatches float through Noctis’ mind as he tries to pin down exactly what type of green Ignis’ eyes are. He’s definitely planning to go to the home improvement store some time this week to figure this out. Then maybe he’ll buy a half gallon of the color and paint his bedroom with it. _Yes, that is exactly what I’m going to do._ Satisfied, he adds that to the top of the list of his priorities for the week bumping the less important: find a good job, spend more time with my father, and eat healthier down a notch. Those aren’t really _his_ priorities anyway. A person needs passion to call something a priority and right now Noctis’ passion stands at a little over 6 feet tall with ash brown hair and jawline that could cut glass. 

Walking through the city is different with Ignis at his side. Suddenly everything seems so lively and bustling. Noctis never liked living so close to all the clubs, eateries, and random shops. The crowds annoyed him. People taking pictures of their food annoyed him. The dogs were okay but only if they were being walked on a leash; Noctis loathed people who carried their dogs in bags. He wished he could avoid all the stupid scenery by driving his car everywhere but traffic in the city was more irritating than the dog carrying people. In most situations it was faster for Noctis to walk to his destination. A lot of people would say, “Why, that’s convenient! Saves on time and money.” Noctis has heard that a million times and still gives the same response: “Yeah, bye.” 

Yet right now..

Right now...he’s absolutely loving where he lives. Ignis looks freaking amazing in front of Noctis’ favorite take out food spot. A few blocks down they’re standing under some string lights that hang from lamp post to lamp post and Noctis’ thinks it makes the best backdrop; Ignis has this ethereal glow like he’s descended from the gates of somewhere holy and is now delivering a message Noctis has been waiting all his life to hear. Something like _Noctis, please do whatever you want with me.._

It’s impressive how Noctis can actively fantasize while be completely committed to his conversation with Ignis. Despite the lewd thoughts that are parading through his head he’s genuinely enthralled by Ignis’ comments, humor, his laugh, the way his eyes sort of crinkle when he smiles. Noctis doesn’t add too much to the conversation, asking questions mainly to learn as much as he can about the man and to keep him talking because gods damn he knows he can never get tired of hearing that voice. Ignis hasn’t dumped his life story since he’s not one to talk about himself too much but his replies are intriguing. Noctis is continuously being reeled in with every exchange of information. He finds himself slightly mouthing all the unfamiliar words Ignis says hoping they’ll stick to his memory by the end of the night so he can look them up.

_Why are his words so attractive?_

“My place is just up ahead,” Noctis points to the double doors to the right. His building is one of, if not the most, expensive properties in the city and well yeah he has the penthouse so… 

Maybe he should’ve told Ignis a little more about himself on the way here. 

“Oh,” Ignis replies uncharacteristically ineloquent. Noctis’ eye does a stress twitch (Prompto loves when Noctis’ eye does this. He finds it hilarious) and he’s wondering if he’s coming off as some rich brat or a sugar daddy. The devil in Noctis suddenly speaks up and says _I can be whatever you want baby._ He shakes it off and gives Ignis a smile. 

“Is there something wrong? Your ex live here or something?” 

_Gods please say no..._

Ignis waves his hands. “Ah, apologies. I just recognize the place is all.” He takes off his gloves and coat as they enter the lobby. When Noctis looks at him somewhat uncomfortably Ignis is quick to supply, “And no, I don’t have any lovers in this building.” He sees Noctis grin, his hands reaching for a key card as he shuffles forward putting a bit of distance between them. The elevator dings and Noctis puts a hand up to prevent the doors from closing too soon. 

_No lovers in this building, yet.._ is all Noctis keeps telling himself. He wishes he could shut his inner monologue up but he can’t. In fact in addition to his inner monologue he’s also got this really simp soundtrack playing along with it. His cheeks hurt from him resisting to smile as big as he wants. He’s trying to stay cool for Ignis because he’s convinced Ignis deserves more than a bumbling fool like him. Only, damn it’s hard to hold in his shrieks of excitement. He believes people need emergency screaming pillows for times like these. At least the pain in his face is taking away from the aching he’s having below his belt… and oh, from that itchy scarf too. 

The elevator doors open to his penthouse and Ignis’ jaw drops. There’s almost a 360 degree panoramic view. Wasn’t this guy worried about privacy? Then again being this high up it was unlikely anyone could see in aside from those traffic helicopters that flew around to supposedly monitor speeding vehicles. Ignis is careful to step onto the marble floor. There doesn’t seem to be a shoe rack or slippers lying around anywhere so he keeps his shoes on while taking in his new friend’s residence. In the living area he is quick to spot the photos that must have been taken by Prompto. 

Hanging above the fireplace are an assortment of photos in various sizes. Some are printed on canvas, some on stock glossy paper, and others are on the mantle in frames. There’s no real theme to them and Ignis finds that pretty endearing. The two photos printed on canvas are likely Noctis’ favorites. The first photo is of two wallets sitting on an arcade machine positioned accordingly next to the joysticks and buttons to keep them from falling. There are tokens stacked against the screen and two high school ID cards in the middle. The photo is in blues, purples, pinks and neon greens. There’s a look of fondness that creeps along Ignis’ face. He focuses on the next photo which is of Noctis holding a fake gun playing a shooter game. Only part of Noctis’ face is showing but his eyes are sparkling with concentration, bits of light from the screen reflecting in his irises. 

_It’s true, these shots are better than the ones in the gallery._ Ignis’ gaze shifts downward and there’s a picture of Noctis with whom he guesses is his father. 

“Noctis, is this your father?” 

“Umm yeah, do you know him?” Noctis calls from the kitchen. Not the best host by a mile but he’s trying his best. 

“Your father is the mayor of Insomnia?” 

There’s a beat of silence then a loud exhale. 

“Yeah. I don’t really like to tell people upfront that I’m the son of the mayor because then I get all these political questions and that’s just, I don’t know. That’s just not me.” 

Ignis nods. Honestly, it relieves him that Noctis isn’t a drug dealer. Before the elevator doors had opened he was having second thoughts. Ignis trusted Prompto so by association he thought he could trust Prompto’s best friend. The blonde was the sweetest most innocent boy he’d ever met. It wouldn’t be possible for him to have an axe murderer as a best friend right? That’s what Ignis deduced in that split second after Noctis had delivered that god awful pick up line. Lucky for Noctis, Ignis has a soft spot for puns and bad lines (although he’ll never outright admit it). 

He brushes a piece of hair away from his forehead and continues his investigation of the penthouse. Noctis is still fumbling in the kitchen with appetizers maybe? When Ignis decides to head in that direction he’s met with some eye candy of his own. 

“This- This is your kitchen??” 

It’s well lit. There are knives stuck to magnetic strips on the wall. Pots and pans hanging. Stainless steel as far as the eye can see. The microwave is a drawer hidden in the kitchen island. The kitchen is way too fancy for an apartment. The kitchen belonged in a michelin restaurant. Ignis starts stroking the countertops with his fingers. The look of admiration he has is comparable to a mother looking at her newborn child for the first time. 

Noctis snickers. 

“Looks like I’ve found your kryptonite. You hungry or thirsty? I can prepare something for you.” 

“Wh-What do you have?” Ignis asks still in awe of it all. 

“Feel free to help yourself.” 

Ignis opens the fridge and slowly the magic begins to fade. 

“There’s only water, champagne and wine in here.” 

“Yeah, I don’t really drink anything else.” 

Ignis opens the freezer and it’s filled with popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, and bagel bites. Like he’s caught in a nightmare he begins frantically opening all the cupboards. 

Instant noodles. Cup noodles. Chips. Gummy bears. 

Slowly, Ignis turns to face Noctis. The face he’s making looks like he’s on the bad end of some sick joke. 

“Noctis, do you cook? I mean, do you actually use your kitchen?” 

Suddenly Noctis realizes that oh yeah, Ignis teaches cooking classes. He’s a chef. _Oh fuck me._ “Well, ha ha you see I’m usually alone here and my mom died when I was young. My dad never really taught me how to cook or anything growing up so… I guess I don’t use it to cook-cook but I can make noodles. Heat up water. I know how to heat up water on the stove.” 

Ignis literally face palms himself. 

And instead of Noctis wanting to crawl and hide under a rock he takes on the challenge of trying to impress Ignis Scientia when it’s very clear that Ignis thinks he’s unworthy of even owning a kitchen. 

“Are you hungry? I can make us some cup noodles if you’re down.” Noctis grins and gives him a wink. 

“I’m sorry?” 

After a moment’s silence they’re both clutching their sides in laughter. 

“I didn’t mean to.. I mean it wasn’t supposed to really come out that way..” Noctis is still chuckling. This date might be headed to shit. If it is, it sure doesn’t feel as bad as he thinks it should feel. Ignis briefly removes his glasses to wipe his eyes. 

“Noctis, may I?” Ignis points to the cup noodles then grabs a pot. 

“Sure knock yourself out. I’ve never had cup noodles made by a real chef before.” Noctis smiles and rounds the kitchen island to get to the refrigerator. “Do you prefer white or red wine with your noodles?” 

“Surprise me.” 

 

***************

15 minutes later the two men are sitting across from one another at a candlelit table eating cup noodles paired with an expensive bottle of red wine. To Noctis’ surprise the noodles are no longer in their prepackaged cups. Ignis insisted they be eaten in bowls. Noctis feels like an idiot for never realizing in his twenty something years of life that you could actually pour the noodles out into a bowl and eat them that way. There is no fine print saying that cup noodles have to be eaten in a cup. _This guy has changed my life_ , Noctis is sure this is the most mind blown he’s ever been. 

Noctis watches as Ignis swirls his wine around and takes a sip. With a pleased look, he sets the glass down then brings the fork of noodles up to his mouth. As he takes his first bite his glasses completely fog. 

“Ah my spectacles.” Ignis is quick to take them off and wipe them. Once his lenses are clear he’s met with Noctis’ stare. “There’s just no way to avoid that. I’ve been trying different ways but the blasted steam always gets me every time.” 

Noctis rests his chin in his palm. He knows he shouldn’t have his elbow on the table but he just wants to admire Ignis, fogged glasses and all. 

“Ok out with it,” Ignis urges. “What do you want to say? I’m not a stranger to teasing. Let’s hear it.” 

“I think that’s my new favorite.” Noctis gushes in his rawest fanboy voice.

“Your new favorite what? Thing to laugh at?” There’s a flicker of irritation in Ignis’ tone. If he wasn’t genuinely curious about what Noctis was up to then that flicker would have come out with much more of a snarl. 

“Sure. Favorite everything. Out of everything that I like that is my new favorite. You, eating noodles, the fog on the specs. That is my new favorite.” 

“Noct, are you insane?” There’s a blush sweeping past Ignis’ neck and up his face. Noctis is sure he can see it and he’s got goosebumps now. He’s being a total honest dork and Ignis, an angel on Eos, is feeling some type of way because of _him_. His smile is growing and hell, this is it. There’s no turning back now. He’s going to give Ignis as much of himself that he can give. 

“That has to be my second favorite.” 

“What?” Ignis grins then takes another swig of his wine. 

“You callin’ me Noct.”

Noctis’ dad always told him that you could tell you’ve struck a chord with someone when they smile with their teeth. Ignis tried to cover his mouth with his hand but it was no use. His cheeks weren’t going to relax any time soon. Ignis tries to avoid eye contact for the next few minutes while he wonders, _did I just get seduced?_

Once the bottle of wine is finished Ignis and Noctis clear the table. Noctis tells Ignis to leave the bowls in the sink because even though he can’t cook much he knows how to clean. He even says he’ll keep the washed dishes in the drying rack for next time so that Ignis could inspect them and see for himself that he wasn’t a total failure at domestication.

“How confident are you that there will be a next time?” Ignis asks as he looks out at the city from one of Noctis’ floor to ceiling windows. 

Noctis leans in close so that they are shoulder to shoulder and he places his hand up to rest against the glass. 

“If you’re saying you never want to see me again I’ll understand.” Noctis turns his head to face Ignis who meets him with those gorgeous green/ aquamarine/ jade/ seafoam eyes. “I don’t think that’s what you want to say though. Am I right?” 

Ignis raises his hand and cups Noctis’ face, tracing a finger under his chin so that he can just ever so slightly look down at him through the frames of his glasses. 

“You. You are very cute.” Ignis drops his hand and slowly makes his way for the elevator with Noctis gently guiding him by the elbow. 

“Cute? With your vocabulary as extensive as it is you choose _cute_ to describe me?” Noctis pretends to be insulted. 

“What would you have preferred I said?” 

“Well- Dashing, suave, or princely. Just to name a few.” 

Ignis pinches the bridge of his nose and presses his back against the closed doors of the elevator. 

“Thank you for such a fine evening, your highness.” Ignis gives a mock bow to his supposed prince.

“You sure you don’t want me to walk or drive you back?” Noctis offers taking out his special keycard to call the elevator to his floor. 

“No that won’t be necessary, I assure you I will be alright.” The elevator dings and the doors open. 

“Ignis,” Noctis calls out, “would it be okay if I gave you a hug goodnight?” 

There’s a faint scent of red wine looming between them. In Noctis’ mind Adorn by Miguel starts playing and he thinks that he definitely doesn’t have enough game or dating qualifications to choose this song for this moment but he can’t pause it- he’s already slightly grooving to the bass that only he can hear. Ignis looks a bit baffled. He takes a step towards Noctis and wraps his arms around the other man’s back letting Noctis fall into him enough to smell the cologne he’s patted on his chest before heading to the art exhibit that evening. 

Before he pulls away, Ignis whispers into Noctis’ ear.

“I’ll do you one better..” 

Soon Ignis lips make contact with Noctis’ cheek. They linger for a few short seconds before Ignis is pulling away and slipping back into the elevator with a wave of his gloved hand.

The doors close and Noctis.. _Noctis is wrecked._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto proves himself to be best boy. 
> 
> Who said Ignis was perfect? 
> 
> Noctis is an overachiever in his own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter became longer than I expected due to my rambling. Hope you like it!

_Say say say, hey hey now baby.._

 

Prompto jives along to the music in his favorite smoothie shop trying to cool down from his morning run. He always orders the ulwaat berry smoothie no matter how many times he tells himself he’s going to get the weird grass shot thing. His figure is still pretty damn close to his high school body so he figures there’s no need to be too strict. His abs are cut deeper than the depths of the secret most secretest dungeon (the legends say they go pretty deep, even need a few keys). Prompto traces at the ridges through his shirt. He’s come a long way in terms of his sense of body image. If he doesn’t love himself who will right? Well, his friends tell him that they will love him no matter what but that’s besides the point. The point is that he is happy with his body and that means he has more time to worry about the other more important insignificant things; like what the hell did that guy mean the other day when he said his picture of the skyline looked very millennial? _Was he mocking me? I hope I didn’t smile too much after he said that._

 

“Ulwaat berry for Prompto!” The smoothie girl calls out. 

 

“Here I am! Have a good day, Coctura!” 

 

Prompto takes his drink and gives the girl a cheesy smile. 

 

“See you tomorrow bright and early Prompto.” 

 

The streets are just starting to pick up traffic. Not many people can brave the 6am wake up call that Prompto set for himself everyday. Natural morning people are hard to come by. He walks his usual route back to his apartment waving at the local shop owners and the frumpy business men that seem to have made him a permanent fixture in their own routines, waving to him and allowing him to cross the street before pulling out of their space. The blonde looks both ways then hurries along. The next landmark on his walk is the corner coffee shop where Crowe has her dog tied to the table while she sips her espresso. Sometimes she has a double chocolate chip cookie that she splits with Prompto. He’s hoping she doesn’t have one today because he’s not feeling too chocolate-ish. As always Prompto has a treat for Crowe’s dog in his pocket. 

 

Before he can reach the coffee shop someone in the distance catches his eye. It’s another morning jogger but Prompto’s never seen him around before. The blonde slows his steps as the jogger comes a bit closer. 

 

He has on a strange choice of clothes. 

 

Usually morning joggers either dress really bundled to keep warm or really grungy because well, sweat and grossness. This guy...

 

This guy is...

 

“Noct? What the hell, are you awake?” 

Noctis slides his headphones back to rest around his neck and continues to jog in place. 

 

“Yeah dude! Early bird gets the worm right? Or... something like that, ha” his mood is absolutely chipper like he had just drank a liter of orange soda after defeating all the big bosses in Justice Monsters. “Hey have you had breakfast yet?” Noctis points to Prompto’s smoothie while the blonde tries to figure out if his best friend is high. 

 

“Not yet, you treating?” 

 

“Duh, wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t.” 

 

“Sweet!”

 

************************

 

Prompto’s usual routine is broken for the day but that’s okay. He gets a free breakfast out of it and probably a hell of a story to go along with the big ass omelette and hashbrowns he’s about to order. He notices Noctis’ lips have been upturned this whole time, even while looking at the menu. They come here almost every week, it’s not like he doesn’t know what they serve. And not to say that Prompto doesn’t like it when Noctis smiles but maybe he learned to like that kind of groggy scowl that he’s used to seeing him wear. After the waitress takes their orders and their menus Prompto sees Noctis’ face completely and giggles. 

 

“Dude, I’m sorry I wanted to ask you this earlier. What are you wearing?” 

 

Noctis is confused. “Um, Adidas?” 

 

“Yeah you are! You look like you stepped out of the catalog.” Noctis was covered in Adidas logos, all black: visor, track jacket, dry fit shirt, joggers. He even had an adidas towel hanging from the back of his pants. 

 

“This is my athletic wear. Workout clothes. Whatever you call it.” 

 

“You are SO athleisure right now.” Prompto laughs. “I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen anyone jog wearing joggers.” 

 

Noctis looks at Prompto’s worn shirt and mesh shorts. _Oh_. Yeah he guesses that people don’t normally get totally fitted when they exercise unless they’re those “look at me” annoying types. _Oh. Dammit._ Now that he thought about it, that’s right- he’s never seen anyone actually jog wearing joggers. How weird is that? Why even name those pants that? He’s seen people sweat in sweats, that makes sense…

 

“Hey, just because you want to run around Insomnia in your shirt and shorts from 6th grade doesn’t mean the rest of us have to.” 

 

“What! Noct, that’s low..” 

 

Noctis smiles as the waitress places their food in front of them. “You know I love you,” he winks at the blonde, “Eat up!” 

 

They eat their food making casual conversation in between bites. Prompto doesn’t have much going on today. Actually he had written down a few things that maybe he’d want to get into- watch a movie, do some grocery shopping, finally work on that DIY shelf thing that he swore he’d start on a few months ago. He had so many cool figures and collectibles laying around. Seemed like a waste to just have them all randomly spread around his apartment. Prompto bites into his omelette and gets a piece of bell pepper. 

 

“Mmm, I love bell peppers! I don’t know how you don’t like veggies Noct.”

 

Noctis’ face tries to twist in disgust but doesn’t completely get there. “I should probably try to work some in.” 

 

Prompto drops his fork.

 

“Ok, now I KNOW there’s something wrong. What’s going on?” Prompto slumps back into the cushion of the booth with his arms crossed. Noctis is still freaking smiling and now it’s getting creepy. Prompto leans forward and whispers, “Noct are you on something right now?”

 

“What?! NO!” 

 

“Then what the hell is all of this? The waking up early, the athleisure, the veggies. You’re not acting like yourself.” 

 

Noctis pauses for a moment. He can see where his friend is coming from. This is unusual, he knows it but he thinks this change is good. He said he would change and he’s going to. This is good. So he sucks in a breath remembering that Prompto always wants the best for him. If his friend tells him he’s being stupid he’ll listen. He might not stop being stupid but he will listen. 

 

“I’ve just been thinking about my life and your life and everyone else’s life.” He smoothes his hair back with his hand, eager to fiddle with something. “For a while now I’ve felt so.. Stuck? Stuck is a good word. I have my dad pushing me to do whatever but I’m not moving forward. I don’t think I’m moving backward either. I’m just not moving.” 

 

“That’s not true Noct. You’re great at all that business and investing stuff. Gods know I don’t know anything about stocks. You just look at something, put your money in, and bam you’ve tripled what you started with. It doesn’t matter if you don’t break a sweat while doing it. I think that makes your talent even more incredible.” 

 

“Thanks Prom,” Noctis gives him a nod of appreciation. “I just, I really want to feel like I’m building something for myself. Something that I can feel proud of and be excited to show off or talk about. You have your photography, Gladio has his MMA, Ignis has his cooking..”

 

Prompto’s ears perk up. Did he hear that right? How could he have forgotten? Noctis and Ignis went home together last night. Or did they? Where the hell did they go? 

 

“Wait wait wait- I’m a bad friend, hold on. You said Ignis right? Like MY Ignis?” 

 

“Not YOUR Ignis, but I guess…” 

 

“Dude, what happened last night? I totally forgot! Gimme the deets!”

 

Noctis has the dopiest look on his face. It’s pure sweetness, everything fluffy, all that sparkles, the most precious look that makes Prompto almost, _almost_ go into a cute rage where he wants to shake and pinch whatever he can to get Noctis to stop looking like that. 

 

“I took him back to my place. We had fancy cup ramen IN A BOWL and then…” Noctis trails off touching his face. 

 

“You guys had sex?”

 

“NO!” Noctis furrows his brows and tsks at Prompto. Noctis is no saint but apparently in his mind Ignis could never give himself up on a first date so he feels obligated to defend him. 

 

“You seriously just tsk’d me?” 

 

“Ignis would never, not on the first date.” 

 

“And you know this how?” Prompto shakes his head and gestures with his hands for Noctis to continue. “Okay anyway, then what happened?” 

 

“He kissed me on the cheek.” There’s that goofy face again. Oh, and there’s a blush too! The feelings are contagious because now Prompto can feel his grin growing. He gives Noctis a small kick under the table. 

 

“Lucky you. You’re a hot guy Noct but I’m going to be honest…” 

 

“No no, I know. He’s way too good for me, at least the me right now. It was a good eye opener to get my act together.” 

 

“When is the next date?” 

 

Noctis looks down then back up at his best friend. 

 

“I don’t know. I didn’t get his number.” 

 

“What? How could you not get his number?” Prompto yelps. He’s already going through his phone to check if he has Ignis’ number or email. He’s bound to have one or the other he just can’t remember since he’s never had to contact him outside of his class. 

 

“I’ll end up stalking him if I have his number. I just want to wait a bit. I mean, I know where to find him and if he wants me he knows where to find me.” 

 

“You’re not scared that he’ll think you blew him off?”

 

“No- I think he knows how I feel.” 

 

Prompto sighs and puts his phone away. His better judgment agrees with Noctis. This is a step in the right direction for him. If things with Ignis don’t work out then at the very least Noctis was able to re-evaluate his life and do something good for himself. 

 

The blonde chirps, “Let me know if there’s anything I can help out with. Oh! Let me know if you want to run with me. I can swing by your place to scoop you up every morning if you like.” 

 

The word ‘morning’ still doesn’t sound appealing to Noctis but he grits his teeth and tells his best friend that he’ll make sure to text him if he’s up on time. 

 

_This feels good. I can do this._

 

****************************

 

“Don’t forget to clean up your work areas or I’ll deduct points from your grade.” 

 

“Yes, Mr. Scientia.” 

 

A mess of aprons hang at the other end of the kitchen, the stack on each hook slightly growing. There’s a hook for each available apron yet every year in every class the students all place the aprons one on top of the other. The hooks closest to the door being the most favored. Ignis grabs a clean hand towel and begins wiping down his counter. Today he taught his class how to make croquettes. Teaching a university class was much different from his weekend ‘fun’ class. As much as he wanted to give his students the best tips and tricks and joke with them over a few glasses of wine in between simmers he couldn’t distract them from for the seriousness of academia. Maybe after they had graduated if his students even wanted to come back to speak with him. Most didn’t aside from a few students who had shyly asked for letters of recommendation. 

 

_I should work on being more approachable,_ Ignis notes. His students in his weekend class seemed to enjoy him but they didn’t need to have how many years worth of culinary arts crammed down their throats in the span of 5 months. Ignis rubbed his face in exhaustion. He always had difficulty mixing fun into his more serious duties. Fun and excellence never really went hand in hand. Fun was something that you got out of your system then left behind. _I suppose I’ll have to peruse the rate my professor site for some feedback._

 

There’s a light knock on a countertop. 

 

“Hey Iggy!” 

 

“Prompto! It’s not Saturday yet is it?” Ignis walks towards him and gives the blonde a small hug. 

 

“You wish!” Prompto shuffles over and helps himself to a seat on the counter. Normally Ignis wouldn’t allow this but seeing that it’s Prompto he decides it’s fine. “I had some extra time today so I decided to swing by..” 

 

“Prompto, I don’t believe you have ever paid me a casual visit..” 

 

“Well I’m here to visit you and casually ask you what happened last night.”

 

Red is a good color on Ignis. He doesn’t wear it often but when he does it suits him. It makes him look warm, inviting even. Maybe that’s what Ignis needs to introduce to his class. He needs to leave regular Ignis at home and invite embarrassed as fuck Ignis to teach. 

 

“Have you not spoken to Noctis?” 

 

Prompto shrugs. “He’s a man of few words. Couldn’t get much out of him. Did he make an ass of himself?” 

 

Ignis doesn’t know this yet but Prompto is a really good friend. He leans on the counter opposite Prompto and raises his brow. 

 

“Ahh- to some extent yes. I’m not certain why he’s taken a liking to me. I think we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum but I did have a good time.” 

 

“So just a fling then? Gotcha!” Prompto jumps off the counter and begins to head for the door.

“Wait! That’s not what it was,” Ignis yells out louder than he intended. _Was it a fling? There wasn’t enough to be flung for it to be a fling? But it was more of a something than a nothing that could be swept under a rug._ Ignis hated the thought of Noctis forgetting their time together. Sure it wasn’t serious but they ate together. There were compliments exchanged. Why was he getting so worked up?

 

Prompto turns around. “Did you get his number?” 

 

Ignis looks away and quietly replies, “No.” 

 

“Here.” Prompto slides a piece of paper to Ignis with a number scrawled on it. “A gift from me to you. Noct won’t mind, just tell him you got it from me.” The chef picks up the card and studies it for a while. “I can only do so much. I’ll leave the rest to you two.” The blonde waves a peace sign with his fingers and trots out the door. 

 

There isn’t much left for Ignis to do today except for log online and see what his students are saying about him. That doesn’t really excite him much but he’s staring down at a number that can connect him to Noctis. Noctis, the handsome-funny-failure of a kitchen owner that moved him enough to earn a kiss. Ignis would be lying to himself if he denied that he wanted to go farther than that. Because he did. He sooooo did. 

 

But he’s been hurt before. The last lesson in love he learned was sometimes things that feel way too good may not be good for you. 

 

Noctis felt good and Ignis just doesn’t know if he can trust his own judgment right now.

 

He knows that he’s interested. He knows that he’s a bit lonely. He knows that he can’t let some ex in the past ruin his love life forever.

 

The number makes its way to a card slot in his wallet while Ignis inspects his kitchen classroom one last time before turning off all the lights and heading home.

 

*****************************

 

He’s really doing this. 

 

Noctis is walking home carrying a paint bucket filled with ‘Sagefire’ green paint because dammit that’s the color his room is going to be for the next month. This was going to be his secret dedication to Ignis, he really can’t help the lightweight stalker tendencies he has. When he’s into something he’s just totally into it. The crazy dies out after a while, at least he thinks it does. 

 

But hey, the day wasn’t a waste and wasn’t completely Ignis filled. Noctis stopped by the citadel for an early dinner with his dad. That hasn’t happened in forever. His dad was elated and introduced him to some important people whom he can’t remember now. Noctis is sure he’ll remember them if he sees them. He’s supposed to take a look at their portfolios free of charge- they all know nothing is free so Noctis is expecting to get tickets to a show or whatever that person is in charge of in exchange. Not a bad perk. In addition, he was able to do his laundry after meeting with Prompto in the morning. His laundry pile was huge. He’d gotten used to buying clothes instead of washing them. An expensive bad habit, well one of the many for Noctis. 

 

His building is in view and thank god too because his arms are starting to give out. Noctis makes a note to call Gladio later to schedule in some time to strength train. He always wanted arms that looked cut without flexing. Noctis shared that with Gladio once and the MMA fighter told him he would need to add more greens into his diet. That’s where that ended. Today though, this was a new Noctis. New Noctis was going to try to… he was going to try to do something…

 

As he’s waiting at the crosswalk someone captures his attention. It’s not even sunset yet but it seems that there’s this halo spotlighting the person as he makes his way towards Noctis’ apartment building. It takes a moment for it to register.

 

_It’s Ignis._

 

Noctis stares at the orange hand that’s blatantly telling him ‘No, hell no you are not crossing right now even though aren’t any cars passing through at this time’. He shuffles to the left just to catch Ignis pull out a key card and go inside. Finally the hand changes into the pedestrian and Noctis crosses as quickly as he can with his can of paint and supplies. By the time he reaches his building there is no trace of Ignis. 

 

_Did he lie to me? Does he know someone here? Why didn’t he just say something?_

 

Noctis pouts the whole ride up wondering if Ignis was just too good to be true. _Most things are right? Why would a person so freakishly drop dead gorgeous, intelligent, witty… why would he be single? Maybe he has bad addictions or a lot of baggage. Or maybe he’s one of those people that sabotage their relationships because they’re afraid of commitment._

_Ughhh… You only watched him walk in the building. He only walked into the building.._

 

When the elevator doors open Noctis takes a few steps out and drops his things. He reads the Sagefire script on the paintcan over and over again while he makes himself comfortable on his marble floor. Somehow its icy coldness has no effect on Noctis whatsoever- he might actually prefer the cold, hard floor over something soft and warm right now. He slides along the tiles, no dust bunny too big or too small for the back of his black shirt to pick up. Somewhere between his third or so sweep of the floor he hears his phone kweh-ing a text message (Prompto set the alert up for him when they both upgraded their phones after waiting 4 hours in line. Noctis was sure that Prompto cared more about the chocobo social pack that the phone came with than the phone itself). 

 

Stopping in his tracks (literally) Noctis pulls his phone out to see an unknown number. 

 

**Good evening.** *glasses emoji* 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when you don't jump on an opportunity. 
> 
> Ignis is figuring himself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again friends. I changed this chapter up so many times because I couldn't decide how deep I wanted to go with Ignis yet. I hope you enjoy it. Thank u for the comments & kudos :) they keep me going. 
> 
> ALSO: The song excerpts used at the beginning is from Creep- by Radiohead.

_I don’t care if it hurts.._

_I want to have control…_

 

A sweet voice potent with pain hooks Gladio’s attention enough to have him looking over the top of his romance novel (which he’s placed a book cover on because… well, appearances). Across the way sitting uncomfortably on a bar stool is the most vulnerable looking man he’s ever seen. His hair is ungelled, swept across his forehead. He looks like he works for a tech company or some sort of start up that just lost their biggest investor this afternoon and now here he was singing his sorrows away.

 

_I want a perfect body.._

_I want a perfect soul.._

 

The man shifts a little as he continues to sing. Gladio notes how lean his body is and how good his posture is for someone so dejected. The man’s expression is one Gladio knows well: it’s the “I really don’t give a fuck about anything right now and this is what I want to do”- look. He loves when people wear that look because often times it means that they are picking up from something massive and maybe have just now gotten enough strength to pick themselves up. _Resilience looks good,_ Gladio decides.

 

_I wish I was special.._

_But I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo.._

 

All the extra noise in the coffee shop seems to silence while the man’s voice begins to ring out. He’s captivating. He’s alluring. Most of all, he’s hurt and it shows.

 

_What the hell am I doing here?_

_I don’t belong here.._

 

There’s a strange feeling of protectiveness stirring within Gladio. He takes a sip of his coffee and plants his feet firmly on the ground, focusing on the singer. There’s an urge to run up to the mic, grab the guy by the wrist, pull him out of the shop and into his car then off to some empty space where they can lay out and talk to the gods together.

 

Their eyes meet briefly for a second.

 

_He’s running out again…_

_He’s running out.._

_He’s run run run.._

 

It’s chilling, all of it. The singer’s voice echoes through the shop and Gladio feels his body quake with each change of note.

 

“Oh my gods,” a woman nearby whispers to her friend. “Is he even real?” They hold each others’ hand and blush while admiring the man at the mic.

 

The singer closes his eyes.

 

_I don’t belong here.._

 

A short breath ends the song and there’s a sound of the bar stool being pushed back as the man stands up. Most of the audience claps, those who aren’t clapping have their mouths open or have tears in their eyes or both. Gladio tries to plan his move but damn his huge muscles and big booming voice-- he doesn’t want to come off as intimidating especially to someone who seems to have only bits and pieces of his heart left on his sleeve. The man gives the crowd a small bow and picks up a complimentary coffee in a to go cup from the barista.

 

“You get better and better each time I hear you darlin.”

 

“Thank you Cindy.”

 

“Somethin’ eatin at cha?”

 

Gladio creeps around the other side of the counter, close enough to hear but not too close where Cindy will excuse herself and ask for his order.

 

“I suppose so,” the man admits. “I’ve been trying to step outside of my comfort zone lately.”

 

“That’s great! That’s not an easy thing to do.”

 

“You’re right but the results have been disappointing.”

 

“Just keep chuggin along sugar. You’re the smartest guy I know, maybe even the cutest too.” Cindy gives him a wink and a blush dusts across his skin. Gladio suddenly feels embarrassed like he listened in on something too private but that was his intention in the first place wasn’t it? Cindy leans over the counter and gives the man a peck on the cheek.

 

“Cheer up ok? You’re welcome here anytime.”

 

“Thanks again, I really appreciate it.” The man flashes her a gorgeous smile that makes Gladio gulp. He clutches his romance novel and tries to shake off his nerves. The big guy can’t even remember the last time he had any nerves and for a second he furrows his brows out of what-the-fuck-get-it-together-ness and gets up to make his move.

 

“Hey, excuse me..” Gladio begins slightly tapping the man on his shoulder. The singer turns around and his eyes gaze upward into Gladio’s. There’s a look of surprise on his face and Gladio hopes it’s leaning more towards a “wow look at you, rawr” and less towards a “please don’t rob me”.

 

_Please don’t be afraid of me. Please don’t be afraid of me._ Gladio pleads to himself.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Umm, I just wanted to say wow-- you have a really amazing voice and..” Gladio trails off. He can’t believe his stomach is in knots just trying to make small talk. “Well, not to overstep but sounds like you may have had a rough day?”

 

The singer pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and kind of smirks.

 

“Might you actually be _trying_ to overstep? Mr…?”

 

Gladio clears his throat. “Gladio. Gladiolus Amicitia but everyone calls me Gladio. And I don’t know about trying to overstep but I _am_ trying something. Something good I hope.”

 

That gets a laugh out of the other man. Gladio is relieved because holy crap this is kind of awkward. “Can I know your name?”

 

“It’s Ignis. Ignis Scientia.”

 

It’s weird how they just stand there gazing at one another like they’re downloading each other’s data. Gladio has this look of gentle ferocity that makes you wonder if he wants to kill Ignis or carry him bridal style through the streets of Insomnia. Luckily, Cindy sees what’s going on and tells the boys to take a seat since they’re blocking people from coming up to the counter. As they head towards a sofa Cindy smiles to herself saying a small prayer for her friend.

 

*************

 

“So can I call you?”

 

Ignis thinks about it for a moment as he and Gladio stand outside the coffee house whose sign just flipped to ‘Closed’. They spent a good three hours talking about life, books, and honestly Ignis said way more than he wanted to. Did he really want to go reconnect with this pseudo therapist again? He knew he’d probably go to bed and die of embarrassment remembering this tomorrow. But Gladio seemed to be genuine. As big and burly as he was he was also thoughtful and warm. A gentle giant of sorts.

 

_I am capable of breaking out of my shell.._ Ignis reassures himself, although his hands begin to shake.

 

“Yes. I’d like that very much.”

 

Gladio lets out a loud breath and a cloud of air quickly appears in front of their faces and rises overhead.

 

“Uh, sorry! I don’t know why I’m so jittery tonight. Must be the cold.”

 

Ignis grins and starts to relax. At least he isn’t the only one feeling anxious.

 

**************

 

Noctis is getting used to frequenting the empty diner with Prompto in the mornings. The jingle of the bells at the door when they enter serve as the finish line for their early run. Noctis is drenched in sweat and it feels good. His body is starting to tone up and he _thinks_ he’s just about converted into a morning person but then again it’s only been a week. Per Men’s Health Magazine he won’t be completely converted until at least 2 weeks into his routine. It doesn’t matter though, he’s feeling better. He’s been productive. His head is clearer than ever.

 

The boys plop into their usual booth after washing their hands in the restroom and toweling off as much sweat as they can. Once their waitress takes their orders (Prompto is ordering much lighter now since he’s forfeited his old routine for this new one with Noctis) Prompto decides to get personal.

 

“Noct-- you haven’t said anything about Ignis all week. Everything ok?”

 

Noctis flinches a little and Prompto catches it.

 

“I haven’t talked to him since that night.” Noctis tries to meet Prompto’s expectant gaze but averts his eyes.

 

“Ignis didn’t try to get in contact with you?”

 

Noctis sighs and Prompto knows what that means. He doesn’t think it’s possible for Noctis to have lost interest so quickly. If he has then he must have had good reason. Noctis continues to fidget then after taking a sip of his water he’s ready to open up.

 

“He texted me the day after which I’m guessing is your doing?”

 

“Guilty as charged. Just laying the pieces for you.”

 

“Well, thanks…”

 

“You don’t sound thankful. So what happened?” Prompto leans over the table with his face in his hands.

 

“Before he texted me I saw him walk into my building. He was alone but why was he there you know? He didn’t bring it up while we were together. All he said was he knew the place. Why do you think he was there?” It feels good to get this out to Prompto. Noctis realizes he probably should have called Prompto or told him sooner. It could have saved him the angst from all the millions of scenarios he dreamed up from then until now.

 

“Wait-- so what did you tell him?”

 

“Tell him? About what?”

 

“Noct, what did you text Ignis?” Prompto is sitting at full attention practically ready to kick Noctis’ legs under the table.

 

“I didn’t text him anything,” Noctis says defensively.

 

“AT ALL? So you mean Ignis texted you and you didn’t reply? When was this?” Prompto’s jaw is hanging open and he slaps his face, dragging his hand down so slowly it pulls his bottom lip down.

 

“How many days has it been? Like 5 or 6 days?”

 

“Noct-- you fucked this up.” Prompto says deadpan.

 

Noctis’ eyes shoot up with panic. “What do you mean? It’s normal for people to wait a few days before texting people back and….” Noctis bites his lip. “He went into my building and didn’t tell me anything!”

 

“You can’t leave Ignis hanging like that. You said it yourself, he’s perfect. That guy probably has a freaking buffet of people to choose from.” Prompto sighs and shakes his head at his friend. “Dude, honestly Ignis doesn’t seem like the type to take the first step and call or text. He must have been scared out of his mind to approach you especially after going to your palace of an apartment. Ugh, you really held out because you didn’t know why he was in your building? You should’ve just asked him!”

 

Their food arrives and what poor timing because Noctis isn’t hungry at all. He thinks about how just a few hours ago he was laying in his bed, staring at his sage green bedroom walls wondering what it would be like to roll over and see Ignis at his side. _What a fucking time to be immature_. He had been using Ignis as motivation to better himself without any problem yet couldn’t confront the man to move their relationship forward. Sure, daydreaming about him is easier than being rejected. Being rejected is scary. But if Ignis had been willing to take a leap of faith with him, he who is not worthy of owning a kitchen, then common sense would tell him to grab on and not let go. Why didn’t he jump at the chance?

 

“Shit. You think it’s too late Prom?” Noctis asks staring at the text in his phone.

 

“You won’t know until you try.”

 

Noctis looks at the time; it’s still early as hell but he doesn’t hesitate to start typing his message in.

He presses send and tries to not stare at his phone for the rest of the meal. Prompto frowns in disappointment as he eats his fruit and yogurt. They eat in relative silence as Noctis’ depression is so thick it’s almost tangible. Once the bill is paid they head out walking down the sidewalk at a slow pace. The sunrise is nice, too bad they can’t really enjoy it. There are more people out now and Prompto wonders if they should take a different route back to the apartment so that Noctis can have more room to sulk without having to worry about bumping into someone. The blonde leads Noctis down a different path that passes through a park. There are flowers in bloom, a few fountains, and a few benches. Noctis looks around and wonders why he doesn’t walk this way more often.

 

Soon enough he sees a familiar figure waving at him.

 

And someone else too.

 

“Hey, how’d you get prince charmless up so early?” Gladio jokes patting Prompto on the back.

 

“Ummm h-h-hey guys… What’re you both up to? You know each other?” Prompto puts himself in between Noctis and Gladio… and Ignis.

 

“I was just trying out this morning yoga class in the park with this guy!” Gladio exclaims, totally oblivious to the fact that Noctis is standing there not even hiding his blindsided-ness and Prompto’s face is already at its full blush capacity. “This is Ignis,” Gladio says beaming with happiness.

 

“Y-yeah he’s my cooking instructor and he came to my art exhibit too! Noct met him there.”

 

Noctis nods in agreement and tries to smile a little. “Um, did you get my message Ignis?”

 

Ignis gives him a startled look. “No. When did you send it?” He starts to reach into his gym bag. “I tossed my phone in my bag when I left this morning and I haven’t brought it out since.”

 

“Oh I sent it this morning but you don’t have to check it now. It’s not important. Actually you can just read it later. Way later, or you can just delete it.”

 

The smile gradually starts melting from Gladio’s face. Before he can get a word in Prompto chimes in.

 

“Iggy, don’t you have a class to teach this morning?”

 

“Iggy?” Gladio and Noctis say at the same time.

 

Ignis checks his watch and his eyes grow wide. “Ah, seems I’ve deviated a bit from my usual schedule. I’ll catch up with you all again. Thank you for joining me this morning Gladio. Nice to see you Prompto, Noctis.” Ignis hurriedly power walks through the park while the other three men watch him go.

 

Prompto lets out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding in. It doesn’t take long for Gladio to invade Noctis’ personal space. Surprisingly, Noctis doesn’t back down. He does however, stumble a few steps back. Gladio shifting from one foot to the other is enough to sway Noctis a little just by momentum.

 

“What’s your deal with him? You like him?” The grit in Gladio’s voice is sandier than ever.

 

“What if I do?” Noctis chirps out. If Prompto had a blanket he’d be hiding under it. Since he doesn’t he alternates covering his eyes with his forearm to using both hands and then back to his forearm. All while pacing.

 

“Then I’d say you’re outta luck because we got a good thing going on.”

 

“Didn’t see him kiss you before he left so must not be THAT good.”

 

“He didn’t kiss you either.”

 

“Yeah, not _today…_ ”

 

There it is, the trigger is pulled. Noctis goes flying into a mound of grass while Prompto jumps on Gladio’s back which does not affect his agility, speed, or strength in the slightest. Noctis manages to plant his foot square on Gladio’s sternum to get some distance between them. From Gladio’s end he’s not feeling much resistance at all except for when he pulls back to punch there’s the added weight of Prompto dangling from the bend of his elbow.

 

“YOU BOTH ARE BEING STUPID! STOP IT!” Prompto yells. A crowd of yogis (that’s what you call people that do yoga right?) begins to crowd around them.

 

“Hey, don’t those guys look familiar? I can’t put my finger on it…” One of the bystanders say loud enough for Prompto to hear.

 

_Shit,_ Prompto thinks. If anyone recognizes Noctis or Gladio it’s going to be a problem. Gladio’s already gotten off the ground and is fuming with the blonde still attached to his arm. Noctis is hunched over dusting himself off when he hears a loud voice over a megaphone.

 

“Insomnia Police. Please disband immediately. Please disband.”

 

The crowd of yogis break apart and slowly take their eyes off of the scene in front of them. Parting the crowd is one man dressed in uniform carrying a megaphone. As soon as the three men see him they quickly lower their heads in shame.

 

“This is all your fault Gladio,” Noctis whispers in the harshest tone he can muster.

 

“Oh this is not on me buddy,” Gladio retorts.

 

“H-Hi Cor, what brings you out here this early?” Prompto is damn near crying. He’s always been afraid of Cor since he and Noctis were kids. Cor wasn’t mean but he never smiled. People who don’t smile freak Prompto out.

 

Cor doesn’t even reply. He stands there with his arms folded shaking his head.

******************

After taking a shower in the faculty building, Ignis fishes his phone out of his gym bag. There’s a text alert from way too early this morning. Ignis smiles to himself happy that he wasn’t completely forgotten but if not forgotten then what? He spent the whole week trying to figure out what that ‘then what?’ could be. Ok, maybe not the whole week. Maybe just the 24 hours after he sent the text and didn’t receive a response..

 

Then he had a meltdown…

 

And he met Gladio.

 

When the message pops open Ignis’ eyes are quick to skim over the words.

 

He tilts his head back and lets out a hysterical chuckle.

 

**Good morning, Ignis. I’m the worst at cooking and apparently texting back too. Thought about you all week-- NC**

“You’re kidding me..”

He’s frustrated. He’s in disbelief.

 

And now he’s torn because he really can’t stop smiling.

 

He secures his apron over his clothes and checks himself out in the mirror. Before heading to his class he declares loudly, “You are a single man, Ignis Scientia. You may do as you wish.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis' idea of what love is and what it should be is very convoluted. 
> 
> Ignis' past pays a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is a little heavy. We see some of the internal issues our boys have been dealing with. Ignis' is more obvious but Noctis' goes pretty deep too. 
> 
> Don't worry it will get better.
> 
> Thank you for reading. Hope to not disappoint too much :T.

“Just give it up Noct. A guy like that isn’t going to want to take care of a brat like you,” Gladio says as he pulls a water from Noctis’ fridge. The three men make themselves comfortable after nearly losing their heads at Cor’s hands. They were lucky Cor wasn’t in the mood to drag them, twenty something year old adult men, to their parents because Gladio did not want another lecture from his father about bullying Noctis. And Noctis had no desire to talk to his father about his budding personal life. That would leave Prompto stuck to Cor’s side which many times in the past resulted in vomit, tears, or a broken something or other (all Prompto of course). 

 

Noctis pulls a seat from his table and slumps against the back of the chair. “I don’t want him to take care of me, Gladio. I want to take care of him.” 

 

“Look Noct- you can’t ride your dad’s coattails forever..” 

 

“Gladio, Noct doesn’t..” Prompto defends. 

 

“No, I get what he’s saying Prompto it’s cool. And I know…” Noctis’ honesty catches Gladio off guard. It’s rare for him to agree with the big guy especially when he jabs at him like that. Gladio pulls a seat out across from him and looks at Noctis intently. 

 

“So what about Ignis has you in superman mode? He tell you he wouldn’t touch you unless you shaped up or something?” 

 

“No, that’s not it. It’s just you and Prompto and Ignis all have your lives figured out. Me, I’m just me….here… doing things that I don’t even I don’t know..” 

 

Prompto already senses his best friend’s discomfort. “Noct- you don’t have to go into it. It’s never the wrong time to want to make some self improvements right?” Prompto lets out a nervous laugh and Gladio figures that probing will push Noctis into some depression spiral hence Prompto’s intervention. Gladio gives a sharp exhale and reassesses his strategy. 

 

“The night I met our man he was a hot mess, literally. Some dude from before got it in his head that he was boringly perfect, or something like that. He’s been self conscious ever since. Also, I suppose you’re the jack ass that didn’t reply to him…” 

 

Noctis groans with his head in his hands. “So how far did you two get?” 

 

Gladio smirks. “You think I’d tell you?” 

 

“Ughhhhhh… FINE.” Noctis checks his phone, still no reply from Ignis. “Well I’m serious Gladio. I’m really going after him and if you are too then may the best man win.”

 

“Alright! Great!” The blonde claps his hands together. “Happy we could all get this worked out like the gentlemen we are! So what’s on the agenda today?” 

 

Noctis and Gladio stare at each other then down at their phones. 

 

“Ahh okay.. I guess we’re just all going to wait for him to call then..” Prompto sighs and falls into the couch. Thankfully the remote isn’t too far away. He grabs it and turns the tv on to some live chocobo races. 

 

“Well if we’re going to be watching this might as well make some money out of it.” Noctis taps his phone a few times and smiles as his bank account grows. Before the next set of races start he’s already transferred portions of his winnings to stocks and CDs. Prompto watches and wonders if he should give Noctis his phone and tell him that he’ll take whatever he’s having but he’s always been against mixing friendship and finances. One day he’ll ask Noctis to teach him his ways though, one day. 

 

***********

Ignis waits for the last of his students to exit the classroom before he heads to the door to close it. Getting through the day was more difficult than usual after reading that stupid text from Noctis. Ignis was smitten. Several times throughout his lecture he swore he heard students whispering that he was glowing. _Glowing,_ he huffs. _That’s a compliment is it not?_ Ignis grabs a nearby frying pan and attempts to study his face in it. 

 

“Mirror, mirror, in this pan.. What in gods’ name should I text that man?” 

 

As if on cue, his phone begins to vibrate with an alert. 

 

**Still at work?-NC**

 

Ignis smiles. 

 

**Yes but just finished. Are you spying on me? *glasses emoji***

 

**Spying no. Stalking? Maybe a little <3 lol. Open the door? **

 

“What?” Ignis says aloud. He eyes the door he just shut and his heart begins to race. All he can think about is that he’s supposedly glowing. _You can’t turn off a glow can you?_ He adjusts his glasses and pats himself down a few times before turning the handle. Ignis has never been too fond of surprises although Noctis seems to be full of them and he can’t deny that the quirky guy has set his heart fluttering. 

 

_Inhale, exhale.._ he reminds himself. He reaches to open the door and finds Noctis leaning against the frame. When Ignis locks eyes with Noctis his knees almost buckle. For someone that uses horrible one liners and has little to no dating etiquette Noctis almost makes up for his shortcomings through appearance. Ignis notices that Noctis’ confidence is effortless; if Noctis struggles with it he really can’t tell. The way he moves, the way he smiles, the way he bounces back from being so awkward..

 

Ignis wonders if Noctis ever feels insecure. 

 

“Hey Specs…” Noctis gives him a small wave while Ignis steps aside to let him into the classroom. He looks into the empty hallway before closing the door again. 

 

“Hey indeed, what brings you here? I presume our friend Prompto has sent you,” Ignis tries to keep his voice level as possible but it’s hard when he can already feel his face heating up. 

 

“Figured if he’s going to give out my number to the guy I like he could return the favor and give me some info too,” Noctis smirks and sits on one of the counters. “Do you have plans for dinner?” 

 

Ignis stares at Noctis and wonders how sanitary it is for him to have his ass where so many of his students prepare their food. Noctis’ legs are spread wide enough for Ignis to fit comfortably between. He imagines wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him down. He would look down at him and maybe stroke Noctis’ jaw, tilting his chin up slightly in time for him to see the chef lick his lips…

 

“You look like you _know_ what you want to eat,” Noctis snickers breaking Ignis out of his trance. He jumps down from the counter and closes in on Ignis. “So, what’ll it be?” 

 

_This guy.._ Ignis clears his throat. “Well if you’re not opposed to it, how about I teach you how to make something? I have some leftover ingredients from today’s lessons. We also have an ample supply of fire extinguishers here.” Noctis shoots Ignis the meanest look he’s seen since they’ve met. 

 

“Ha, ha. Fine,” Noctis grabs an apron from one of the hooks by the door and begins tying the strings around his hips. “I’m in your capable hands..” 

 

“I like how that sounds,” Ignis says before turning heel towards his pantry. He misses the way Noctis’ chest heaves, how he sort of reaches out but pulls his hand back. While Ignis bends and reaches for their supplies Noctis trails a good distance behind to check out the view. 

 

_You are hella old Noctis, get it together,_ Noctis scolds himself. He approaches Ignis to lend a hand and so the lesson begins. 

 

**************

 

Ignis picked a simple recipe, the Mother and Child rice bowl. All that was needed was some chicken, eggs, and rice. Anyone should’ve been able to handle the preparations for the meal especially with a trained chef to guide them but Noctis was one of a kind, in all sense of the phrase. 

 

After a few burnt frying pans and a lot of scorched cups of rice Ignis relieved Noctis of his duties and quarantined him to a stool far, far, away from the stove. 

 

Noctis isn’t alone for long. Carrying two bowls, Ignis gracefully sets one down in front of Noctis then in front of himself. He offers the raven haired man a formal napkin for his lap as he motions Noctis to take a taste. 

 

“Thank you for the food. I promise I’ll practice enough to not burn anything for next time,” Noctis jokes. He lifts his fork getting a good enough portion of chicken, egg, and rice then shovels it in his mouth. To be honest, he’s not expecting much. Ignis told him before they started that it was a basic recipe, after all he picked it with Noctis’ lack of skill in mind. Once Noctis starts chewing he’s hit with what he thinks is nostalgia. He remembers this taste, this feeling, from somewhere but he can’t find a memory to associate it with. The food is good, it’s not extraordinary yet it’s bringing him a kind of comfort he didn’t know he needed. 

 

“Is everything alright, Noct?” It appears that Noctis has lost his energy. Ignis doesn’t recognize his reaction; it’s as if Noctis is sobering up from a rough night. Noctis pokes at his food a few more times and takes a couple more bites. 

 

“It’s great Ignis, thank you. I just realized it’s been so long since I’ve had someone cook for me. Like a real home cooked meal.” 

 

“I’m sorry that it’s so simple. If you had preferred something more extravagant then certainly..”

 

“No, it’s not that at all. Simple is good. This… this is really good.” 

 

Ignis gives a small smile as the two eat their meal in a relaxed silence. When they are finished Noctis grabs both bowls (as he had done the first time they ate together at his apartment) and begins to wash them in a nearby sink. Ignis watches him- sleeves rolled up, hair pushed back, the strings of his apron catching his attention. 

 

When Noctis places the last bowl in the drying rack Ignis comes up behind him undoing the strings at the small of his back. Noctis’ apron opens loosely, hanging against his sides, dangling from his neck. The scent of Ignis so close to him is dizzying. Ignis slides his hand around Noctis’ waist turning him so they are face to face. He hooks his fingers around the part of the apron that wraps around Noctis’ neck and pulls it over his head with a smile. 

 

_I need him in my life,_ Noctis thinks. No words come out but he’s sure Ignis can somehow read his mind so he starts thinking some more: _Let me pick out your glasses frames for you. Say where you want to go, I’ll take you there. Let’s talk all night. I want to see all the kinds of faces you make…_

 

“If you wouldn’t mind, can I walk you home?” Ignis asks after hanging up the apron and grabbing his things. 

 

Noctis grins and nods his head in agreement. “If I didn’t know any better Specs, I’d say you’re starting to like me.” 

 

Ignis turns the lights off once Noctis steps outside. “Seems you’d favor not knowing any better then..” He gives Noctis a wink and Noctis doesn’t hesitate to link his arm with Ignis’ as they head out. 

 

**************

It’s not unusual for it to be freezing this time of year but it still comes as a surprise when the two men step into the courtyard and are greeted by the harsh wind chill. Ignis wraps his coat around himself a little tighter. It’s hard to believe he was just doing yoga in the park that morning. Noctis curls into Ignis a little closer. Part of Ignis wants to tell him that the contact is a bit much; it’s been a long time since he’s had any kind of intimacy with anyone. Well, aside from conversations but conversations didn’t involve contact. Talking to someone didn’t involve feeling their weight pressed into you. Smelling their scent. Feeling the nuances in how they move. The romantic in Ignis is longing to wrap his arm around Noctis to pull him into his side. 

 

But Ignis knows himself. He will not rush. He can’t let himself get carried away..

 

************

Noctis’ mind is blank. He’s too enamored with having Ignis out in public with him like this; it just seems so natural. He’s an idiot, he knows. He can’t believe he left this god of a man waiting by his phone. He can’t believe Ignis might really feel the same way about him. Being with him feels right. Being with him feels like he’s found the home that he was always meant to have, the home that politics and media deprived him of. Noctis looks at their reflection in a shop window as they wait to cross the street and he’s incredibly proud of what he sees. They look good together. He’s motivated. He tells himself that he can be the man Ignis needs, that come what may he’s ready to tackle it all with this man. 

 

They begin to walk and before they reach the front of Noctis’ building Ignis suddenly stops. 

 

A tall, admittedly good looking, man stands in front of them. His hair is shaved at the sides, long at the top and slicked back. He has a few notable piercings along his ears that Noctis doesn’t want to say he thinks look cool but he does in fact, think they look cool. When he notices the man smirking at Ignis he feels his heart sink. 

 

“Ignis, it’s been a while.” The man flashes a smile that reminds Noctis of a joker. He doesn’t know if he finds it sexy or scary. He stares at the stranger who lifts his arm invitingly for a hug. Ignis doesn’t take him up on the offer. 

 

“Hello Nyx. If you’ll excuse us.” Ignis begins to pass with Noctis at his side when Nyx gently grabs onto his free hand. 

 

“Going home with someone already?” 

 

Ignis’ face flushes pink. Noctis rolls his eyes. “So what if he is? What’s your problem?” 

 

Nyx looks Noctis up and down before replying. “You’ve always been quick to get people to fall in love with you Scientia.”

 

“Yes well it seems they fall in love fast and fall out of love even quicker.” 

 

Noctis is shocked by Ignis’ reply. He scans his face and sees a wall of tears threatening to fall. Ignis shouldn’t even be able to see through tears that dense. Noctis can practically hear Ignis telling himself not to cry. Nyx is still holding on to Ignis’ hand and the guy must have a strong gravitational pull because Ignis is now standing deep in Nyx’s personal space, far from Noctis. 

 

“Sorry to cut your date short but I need to borrow him for a while.” Nyx pulls Ignis into him and surprisingly Ignis doesn’t fight it. He looks back at Noctis, defeat in his eyes. 

 

“Noctis, thank you for today. I hope we can see each other soon.” Both Nyx and Ignis stare at Noctis impatiently, expecting him to leave. 

 

“Specs, are you sure you’re okay? I can stay for as long as you need..” Noctis ignores the way Nyx’s lips turn up ever so slightly. He can tell Ignis is uncomfortable, that he doesn’t want to go. 

 

“Yes. I’m sorry that I have to end our night like this. I’ll make it up to you.” A tear falls and Ignis quickly wipes it away with the sleeve of his coat. Noctis doubts that Nyx noticed but it doesn’t matter anyway. He slowly walks into his building, watching how Ignis shivers once he’s out of sight. 

 

_What the fuck…_ As Noctis takes the elevator up it takes everything in him to keep from pressing the buttons to go back down. He imagines Ignis’ face and body language. All of it changed once Nyx appeared. Ignis had been so smooth and sassy all afternoon then with a blink he was turned inside out. When Noctis reaches his apartment he’s quick to look out the window to check on his crush. Thankfully he spots him walking, distance between he and Nyx which is a relief. _Ignis you’re definitely going to have to explain this one.._ Noctis glances at the time. He’ll give it another 2 hours before he texts to make sure the other man is okay. 

 

Noctis sighs and puts his pajamas on. The flannel feels good against his skin but it’s not as comforting as Ignis’ body heat. He tries to concentrate on the feeling of the plush comforter against his back as he stares up at his ceiling. What could have happened between Ignis and Nyx? Noctis has never cared about anyone enough to have a bad break up. Realizing this, he smothers his face in his pillow with jealousy. _Ignis must’ve loved the guy. How much can you love someone to where just seeing them makes you freeze and forget everything around you? And if you let a person go then you don’t deserve to come back for them. What is there to talk about? Why can’t people just deal with shit on their own? No need to drag other people into it. Why let that asshole make you feel bad? Why let him make you feel anything? I don’t get it. People need to move on. I never asked any of my exes questions and I didn’t answer any of theirs.._

 

There’s a jingling of keys that he doesn’t notice as he screams furiously into his pillow. 

 

“Noct? What are you doing?” Prompto calls out from the doorway of Noctis’ bedroom. 

 

The pillow falls off of his face and the blonde moves closer to see his best friend’s eyes red and swollen. 

 

“Are you crying?” 

 

“No..” Noctis stammers; his voice doesn’t sound like he thinks it should. He feels his face, it’s wet. _When did I…_ He cups his face with both hands unable to stop the wave of emotions that are spilling out of him. As his body quivers he wonders why. Is it the jealousy? Was it the dinner? _Where the hell is this all coming from?_

 

Prompto scoots next to Noctis and lays him down into a spoon position. When it comes to spooning Noctis has always been the little spoon. Prompto lets him cry as he presses into him from behind. 

 

“You really need to stop holding things in Noct, otherwise it’s gonna bubble over like this.” Noctis sniffles. Having Prompto there helps. He can already feel his breath slowing. He doesn’t answer Prompto even though he wants to ask what his friend thinks he’s been holding in. He’s never kept anything from his friends really. What was there to keep? Should he have been saying something? 

 

The way Prompto cuddles into him tells him that the blonde probably knows more about Noctis than he does about himself. Once he’s calmed down Noctis pushes back into Prompto’s chest. 

 

“Am I stupid for feeling left out?” 

 

Prompto rests his chin at the curve of Noctis’ neck. “Left out from what?” 

 

“From feeling what it’s like to love someone or to be loved by someone..” 

 

The blonde places an innocent kiss on Noctis’ cheek. “But _I_ love you Noct.” 

 

Noctis reaches back to grab Prompto’s hand and intertwines their fingers. 

 

“I know,” Noctis kisses the back of his friend’s hand. “Love you too Prom.” 

 

The boys close their eyes and ride out whatever bad feelings are left inside of Noctis. It’s just like when they were younger although back then the blonde would be the one who broke down the most. Buried deep in the back of Noctis’ mind are thoughts of him and Prompto from long ago..

 

_Our love isn’t the same kind of love everyone else wants,_ Noctis thinks matter of factly. _We’d never go all crazy on each other like you’re supposed to when you’re IN love._ He listens to the sound of Prompto breathing. _I’m afraid to see what that’s like but with Ignis maybe it won’t feel as bad as it looks…_ Prompto’s already fallen asleep, a sucker for high thread counts and a good cuddle. The two hours will be up soon and Noctis hopes Ignis is holding up alright. 

 

*************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our boys will get stronger, don't worry. Please don't hate me :[.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis' past with his ex is revealed.
> 
> Gladio is a good friend.
> 
> Noctis is asleep, what else is new.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: toxic relationships, death, accidents, description of death in this chapter. PLEASE BE ADVISED.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Ok this chapter is a bit short on the fluff bc of backstory BUT after this chapter it gets fluffy again. 
> 
> There are trigger warnings for this chapter listed in the chapter summary. If what is listed up there is not your jam then please skip down to the paragraph that starts with "It's ridiculous..." 
> 
> As always thank you for reading. I hope you are enjoying so far :).

Cindy loves how her coffee shop is a haven for people. It’s not weird to go there to be alone because everyone that visits usually is trying to hole up into something; if not to focus on work then for private time. She knows her patrons well. She knows their drinks, their body language, and for one patron she knows how quickly it takes to experience a mental shut down. 

 

Because out of all the customers she’s ever had he was the first one to ask for “a pen, paper and some cyanide in an americano”. 

 

The skin over her knuckles stretches white as she clenches her apron. She’s not one to interrupt her guests but as a friend she’s not one to let the people she cares about suffer. It’s a sensitive situation-- she sees Ignis tucked away in a corner table with the ex that she knows is sucking the life out of him with every passing second. Whatever the circumstance is, to her it absolutely cannot justify him coming around again. Nyx notices her staring and tips his cup to her. He knows she hates him but he doesn’t care.

 

********

 

“Whatever spell you put on your lady friend there sure is working. She’s scowling so hard I think I might turn into stone soon.” 

 

Ignis ignores Nyx’s attempt at a joke. “You have my attention. What is this about?” Even though Ignis asks he’s sure he knows the answer. He noticed the date this morning when he got up. It’s an important date to him, to both of them, but now that they’re separated there was no need to spend it together. 

 

“I know you wouldn’t forget Iggy,” Nyx says in a quiet, mellow voice. He plays with a ring on his finger. “My parents are asking about you. How you’re doing and when you’ll come by to see them.” Ignis looks away, _It’s not fair to bring the family into this_. Nyx continues, “I can’t believe she’s been gone for so long now.” 

 

Today is the anniversary of Nyx’s sister’s death. Ignis doesn’t need a reminder, he thinks about her everyday. She was his first best friend. The three of them grew up together; the Ulrics and the Scientias having no problem when they would exchange kids for a month or two. 

 

One evening when Nyx’s sister was still in highschool she asked Ignis to take her out for some ice cream to distract her from her upcoming exams. Nyx had just started working and was spending less and less time at home. Despite his fear of driving at night Ignis agreed and they headed out. 

 

On the way back they were both hit by a drunk driver. 

 

Nyx had driven past the scene on his way home. He pulled over once he recognized the car in his rearview. Bystanders had called 911 and most tried their best to pry the bodies out of the twisted metal and debris. Everyone was unconscious. Ignis had his arm across Nyx’s sister as if to shield her. While her body seemed to be unharmed her head had obvious trauma. Ignis faintly remembers hearing Nyx’s voice that night. But what he remembers most….

 

_”Iggy, it was a bad idea to get ice cream. I’m so cold now!”_

_“You didn’t enjoy it? I’m hurt. After I went all this way for you..”_

_“Pshh! Well yeah it tasted amazingggg… but I feel like my hands have frostbite or something,” she laughs complaining about how ice cream cones should have some kind of insulation technology. Ignis absolutely adores her comment._

_“Here,” he reaches over with his right hand. “Hold on to my hand until you get warmed up.”_

_Her delicate fingers wrap around his. A light is shining brightly on her face as she sighs in satisfaction._

_“You’re so perfect Iggy.”_

 

Ignis adjusts himself in his seat and takes a sip of his coffee. He doesn’t want to be sitting there with Nyx but he keeps thinking about how his sister would feel if she knew how horribly fucked up their relationship is now. 

 

Ignis replies, “I know. I keep thinking that I’ll miss her less as the years pass but it’s all the same.” 

 

Nyx looks at Ignis with appreciation. Ignis knows Nyx doesn’t open up about his feelings to anyone, or at least he didn’t before. His sister has always been a sensitive topic. “Iggy, you think she would want us to be together?”

 

_And so the unhealthy cycle returns,_ Ignis steels himself. “Your sister would want us both to be happy. It doesn’t matter if we are a couple or not.” 

 

“That’s good to hear,” Nyx sits a bit taller now. “I just have my doubts sometimes especially with my parents always bringing you up.” 

 

Ignis winces. “You are free to love whom you want to love, Nyx. It’s not like I’m a viable option for you anyway.” 

 

“That’s just like you to state the obvious. I see you haven’t changed much. Does that guy really find you interesting? You teach him how to cook and sew on the weekends?”

 

_Don’t let him do this to you,_ Ignis tells himself. “He does and what we do on the weekends is none of your business.” 

 

Nyx lets out a bellowing laugh that startles everyone in the shop for a moment before they carry on with what they’re doing. Cindy narrows her eyes on Ignis watching for any telltale signs that he may need some rescuing. From where she’s standing it seems that Nyx is getting more and more animated. Ignis isn’t sulking or hunching over in response, a good sign. 

 

A familiar guest enters the shop and Cindy almost swears out loud as he walks up to the counter. 

 

“I’ll take an espress-” 

 

“Oh no you won’t,” she interrupts.

 

“Umm oh-okay?” Gladio looks at the tiny woman like he just stepped on a landmine. She has her hands on her hips, her gaze is piercing through him. It seems like she’s looking past him so he turns and sees the table in the corner that’s overflowing with handsome. 

 

“That is his ex-boyfriend. Don’t let his looks fool you. He feeds off of controlling our little angel over there. You can see his smile growing every time Ignis is uncomfortable, it’s driving me crazy.” 

 

Both Gladio and Cindy flinch when then Nyx slaps his hand on the table invading Ignis’ space. He gives a little jump and although they can’t hear what Nyx is saying it seems that his tone has changed. It’s not looking good. 

 

“I don’t have to listen to you talk down on me. I’m not yours to talk down on anymore,” Ignis says sternly trying hard to stare his ex dead in the eye. “You’ve made it clear how utterly boring you find me. Great, please.. Go find entertainment somewhere else.” 

 

Ignis pushes his chair back to leave and Nyx grabs onto his wrist. “What’s this little fight you got in you? I don’t think I’ve seen this side of you before.” Nyx abruptly lets go of Ignis’ wrist when Gladio approaches. “Do you need something?” Nyx asks looking behind Gladio to see Cindy smirk. Ignis feels his shoulders rest against something solid. He turns to find his new friend standing tall and firm beside him. 

 

“Yeah actually I do,” Gladio tugs at Ignis’ chair allowing him to stand. He takes a step closer to Nyx and leans down. “You shouldn’t force people to stay with you when they don’t want to. It’s not a good look.” 

 

Nyx gives a small laugh while Gladio checks to make sure Ignis is alright. He runs his hand through his hair as he finishes the last of his coffee and stands up to leave. “Wow Iggs, how many people do you have on rotation?” 

 

“Don’t be mad because you’re not on the lineup.” Gladio replies. 

 

“Lineup? For that old maid? Please, he needs way more than a tune up.” 

 

“He’s perfect the way he is,” Gladio calls out to Nyx as he passes. 

 

Before Nyx goes out the door he turns and yells, “Yeah? Well too bad being perfect doesn’t save lives.” The bells on the door rattle when Nyx pushes through them. Cindy scampers over to the pair and wraps her arms around Ignis, cradling his face in her hands. 

 

“You did so well, darlin’! Didn’t crack at all! I knew you could do it!” 

 

“Thank you both. I’m sorry to have worried you. He came out of nowhere and I couldn’t refuse him because today…” Ignis fills them in on what happened. Cindy sort of knows the story. Gladio knows bits and pieces from the last time they were in the shop together. When he finishes they both give him a big hug and share some words of encouragement.

 

“Anything involving family is tough. Your ex seems to have some coping issues too,” Gladio places his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “But this is your life to live. Make it worth living yeah?” 

 

“I’ll leave you boys to your own,” Cindy smiles. “Remember Iggy, there’s always an open mic here for you.” 

 

Ignis gives Cindy one more hug then focuses his attention on Gladio. 

 

“How is it that you always find me at my ugliest times?” 

 

“I like coffee and you like drama with your coffee?” 

 

Ignis laughs and gives Gladio a playful push. 

 

“Hey, I want to take you somewhere. Are you free for a while?” 

 

Ignis nods and follows Gladio into the night. 

 

**************

 

It’s ridiculous how much camping gear the fighter has in his trunk. No one should have a trunk that full of anything unless they’re driving across the country on vacation. Ignis wonders if Gladio has ever had his car searched by police on a random stop because one look at Gladio and one look at all the stakes, hammers, and shovels sure gave an eerie impression. Supposedly they’re driving out to an open field, Gladio’s favorite field, to admire the scenery. _”It’s my favorite place to meditate,”_ he told Ignis before starting the car. 

 

It’s gotten even colder since earlier but Ignis doesn’t really feel it thanks to the defroster being on at almost full blast. Going for a drive right now isn’t what he wants to be doing given the day and the circumstance but he didn’t want to reject Gladio’s kindness. Ignis did want to see what his favorite spot looked like, he felt honored that he wanted to share it with him. The car slows to a stop on the shoulder of the road and there are steps leading down towards a field with tall blades of grass. Gladio clips a flashlight to his shirt and Ignis follows suit. 

 

The grass is crunchy beneath their feet. As they move farther from the car and deeper into the field Gladio points to where they are headed. There’s a flat rock in the middle of the grass not too far away. When they reach their destination both men lay back on the rock and stare up at the stars. They don’t say anything, they just watch the stars twinkle and Ignis notices more and more fireflies start to dance into their view. It’s calming. His mind wanders from thought to thought and eventually the stars are distracting enough to make his mind go blank. 

 

“Hey Ignis, can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to..”

 

Ignis turns his head to face Gladio. “Sure go ahead.” 

 

“Are you and Noctis.. I mean, are you dating?” 

 

_Noctis…_ he hesitates then remembers how awkward it was leaving him after meeting Nyx. He takes a deep breath and lets it out with a heavy sigh. “No we aren’t dating, not officially at least. I was with him before seeing Nyx and that was.. Well, I’m not too sure if Noctis will want to pursue me further.” 

 

Gladio rests his hands behind his head. “What do you want to do?” The bigger man hopes that his question came off as nonchalant. The answer he’s expecting will help him in his own decision. 

 

Ignis props himself up on his elbow and looks at Gladio. “Gladio, are you interested in me?” 

 

“I’d be lying if I said no but..” his amber colored eyes meet Ignis’ glasses. The lighting is still dim even with their flashlights. “Noct and me go way back. I love that you’re easy to talk to, nice to look at, hell Ignis..all your issues haven’t scared me away and I really like hanging out with you.” 

 

“But..” Ignis presses.

 

“But maybe I’m friendzoning myself because I kinda feel like we’re good like this? And I think maybe you and Noct are more serious than you both let on. Unless you wanna take me for spin I have no objections to that either.” Gladio cocks an eyebrow up and Ignis doesn’t need to see him clearly to know how his face looks at that moment. Ignis slides in a little closer to Gladio and nestles close to his chest. 

 

“I’d say that offer is rather enticing,” Ignis laughs. “You’re a really good friend Gladio. I’m happy we met… sorry that it seems like you’ve gotten the shorter end of the bargain.”

 

“Don’t sell yourself short Ignis,” Gladio’s voice is serious and Ignis doesn’t bother adding anymore to that conversation. 

 

The two of them laid on the rock for a while longer talking about upcoming events, the latest books they’ve read, and Gladio talked a little more about his personal life. Ignis said it was only fair since now Gladio knew way too much about him. When they couldn’t stand the cold anymore Gladio drove Ignis back home. 

 

“I’m not going to say anything to Noct, don’t worry. I’ll leave that to you,” Gladio says reassuringly. 

 

“You know where to find me if it doesn’t go well,” Ignis replies getting out of the car. 

 

“Yep, maybe we could do a duet!” 

 

Ignis takes out his keys and checks his phone at the same time. It’s probably way too late to text Noctis but his guilt and anticipation are going to keep him up all night if he doesn’t get this out of his system. Once he’s settled in bed he taps out a few words, deletes them, then taps again. No one ever warned Ignis about sending late night messages-- as brilliant as a person is during the day when your body is tired it is tired. Ignis hopes what he sends makes sense and that Noctis receives it well. 

 

**********************

 

Black out curtains and heavy comforters are definitely up there on Noctis’ list of favorite things (even if they did get bumped down a few notches thanks to the addition of everything Ignis). He worms his head out of the covers for some air and is met with a post it that he unintentionally curls backwards with his face. 

 

_Early gig this morning! Hope you’re feeling better <3! _

_Ever at your side,_

_Your Big Spoon_

 

It takes a while for Noctis to register that it’s already hella late in the day and that no, he did NOT wake up to text Ignis after two hours like he had planned. His palms start slapping the area around him searching for his phone. As panicked as he is his body is still stiff with sleep (and age) so he doesn’t have much of a choice other than to move at the speed of molasses. Lucky for him it seems that the gods are kind today; with one long stretch he’s able to feel the cool screen of his phone against his arm. Right then a small wave of anxiety hits him. 

 

_What should I text him? What if they’re in bed together now?_

 

“Fuck it,” Noctis declares. His voice is hoarse and thick, he’s probably going to get sick soon if he doesn’t start drinking more water and less alcohol. His thumb pushes the home button and he’s surprised to see Ignis’ name. 

 

“From 2am? Please don’t tell me he needed me and I missed it…” Noctis winces before opening the message. 

 

**Ignis: I’m sure you are asleep; before I go to bed I wanted to apologize for what you saw earlier today. If you are up for it I’d like to continue where we left off later this evening**

**Ignis: or whenever you are available.**

**Ignis: I’ll also answer any questions you might have. There’s quite a bit I wish to explain myself.**

**Ignis: Ok, it’s rather late. Sorry if this woke you. Good night.**

**Ignis: or is it good morning? I’ll talk to you soon.**

 

“I like late night Ignis,” Noctis laughs, finding his crush’s rambling endearing. The texts are out of character, at least from what he’s seen so far and he’s excited to see as many sides of Ignis as he can. He props himself up to sit against his headboard and carefully thinks about his response. There’s a devilish grin that spreads across his face. It would be wrong to use Ignis’ guilt to his advantage but Noctis feels like this is a good opportunity. Plus, Nyx was kinda hot. Who wants to see their hope-to-be-boyfriend with an attractive ex? 

 

“Yeah, really right?” Noctis says out loud replying to his own thoughts. He sends his message, sets his phone face down, and heads to take a shower. “Come on specs, you owe me.” 

 

***********

 

Message from Noctis-- 

 

**Noctis: Good morning. You had me worried all night you know….**

**Noctis: I’ll listen to what you have to say…**

**Noctis: ...if we can continue where we left off yesterday**

**Noctis: at your place instead of at mine. Deal?**

 

**************

 

Message from Ignis--

 

**Ignis: As you wish. I will pick you up in your lobby.**

 

****************


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and Ignis make up.
> 
> Prompto and Cor make up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update! Thanksgiving plus upcoming holidays plus a whole lot of deleting...
> 
> Kinda fell out of my groove so I hope this chapter is okay. No one edits me, I mess it all up on my own lol. 
> 
> If you're still here thank you so much for reading :). The kudos & comments make me happy <3

He’s a little late and a little flustered. More and more it seems that he’s adopting traits that are so unlike him but he knows it’s because when there are messes to clean things usually get a bit worse before they can get better. 

 

And that’s okay. The getting worse is okay because as long as he keeps pushing through it he knows he will heal and his life will fall into the comfortable order that he’s used to. He’s telling himself over and over in his head that no matter what the outcome everything will be fine, after all this isn’t the first time he’s bared his soul. This isn’t the first time he’s had someone catch him drowning in drama. It probably won’t be the last time either yet even with all the life experience he has he still feels the same spike of embarrassment anytime he has to explain Nyx or who he becomes when Nyx is around. 

 

Truthfully, he doesn’t need to explain-- he wants to; for the sake of trying to get over this wall that he’s carefully crafted over time. Noctis is just a bonus, the best kind of bonus if Ignis is being honest. His palms continue to sweat through his gloves as he paces near Noctis’ building for a while preparing himself for the best and worst outcomes. He’s got somewhat of a script already planned, he just hopes that Noctis doesn’t look him in the eyes too much. Ignis is used to having people stare at him (being an instructor and all) but Noctis was a wildcard. Noctis was aloof, charismatic, kind, and maybe a little hopeless. Ignis never knew what to expect. The only thing that he could predict was that he was likely to be drawn to Noctis no matter what. 

 

So if he was about to walk into the worst rejection of his life then at least it was going to be with someone he was genuinely interested in. 

 

Ignis pushes some of his hair back and adjusts his suspenders and suit coat. He can see Noctis through the glass as he approaches the lobby and is happy to get a small smile out of him.

 

He looks gorgeous. Dark hair neatly styled, fitted black sweater with tailored black pants and a designer belt. He smells fresh and of expensive cologne. 

 

“Thanks for picking me up,” Noctis says extending his arm. “Since this is the first time I’m visiting I brought you a gift.” 

 

Ignis looks inside the bag and finds a bottle of expensive wine along with a roll of crackers and expensive cheese. 

 

“Oh Noctis, you didn’t have to. Do you know how to pick cheeses?” Ignis teases. 

 

“I just got the most expensive one.” 

 

“Oh gods...that’s not the best method for everything you know.” 

 

“In this case though it is right?” 

 

They both laugh as Ignis leads Noctis to the elevators. 

 

“Specs, we’re going to your place remember?” The elevator doors open and Ignis pulls Noctis inside. 

 

“Yes, I live in this building.” 

 

***********

 

Noctis swears he’s trying to say something but no words are coming out. Everytime he thinks he’s about to ask a question he pretty much chokes on his own tongue. His thoughts are flowing too quickly to make it out of him and before he knows it the doors are opening to Ignis’ floor; a much quicker ride than going to his place. Ignis keeps his eyes forward as he guides Noctis along to his door.

 

“Make yourself at home. It’s no penthouse, unfortunately I’ve heard the one in this building is already occupied..” He shoots Noctis a wink. “Rumor has it Insomnia’s finest bachelor is staying there.” 

 

Noctis makes a sound that’s somewhere between a shaky laugh and a yelp. The sound even surprises himself. He tries to play it off as best as he can as he toes off his shoes and looks around. There’s a small kitchen that although small appears to be incredibly equipped. Out of curiosity he opens the fridge and what do you know, it’s filled. It looks like a grocery store. Noctis sees some vegetables in the crisper and shudders a little bit before closing the door. 

 

“Are you going to make dinner tonight?” 

 

“I was planning on it but I can order takeout if you’d prefer,” Ignis yells from his bedroom. Noctis wonders if he should follow him in but his feelings of shock outweigh his lust at the moment so he stays put. 

 

“As long as there aren’t vegetables then I’m good.” Noctis replies making his way to the living area. He’s expecting to run into an old picture of Ignis and his ex that Ignis may have forgotten to take down. He’s not hoping to see it, more like he just wants to get the heartache over with. Instead he finds the living room is filled with university books and some funner reads like “Fashion Throughout History”. Noctis cocks an eyebrow up at that. He couldn’t deny that Ignis was fashionable. Gods knew Noctis couldn’t pull off animal print anything. Not many people could for that matter but purple animal print on Ignis looked like a second skin. 

 

Ignis comes out from his room holding what appears to be an album. Before setting it down he grabs the bag of wine, cheese and crackers and begins to arrange it on the coffee table. He pulls out some glasses and after offering Noctis his he takes a seat beside him. 

 

They both stare straight ahead at the television that’s powered off. Their reflections are faint in it, something like a spooky portrait staring back at them. Ignis takes a swig of his wine. 

 

“Thanks for coming to meet me especially after everything.” 

 

Noctis crosses his leg and digs himself into the couch further. Even through the vague image on the blacked out screen Ignis can tell Noctis is expectant. Ignis isn’t sure what Noctis wants to hear but he’s prepared to spill all that he can. He opens the album and points to a picture of three children smiling. 

 

“This is me, Nyx, and his sister.” 

 

Noctis thinks _Oh shit, kid Ignis is freaking cute._ Followed by, _Dammit they’ve known each other since they were kids._ Noctis knows what that means; he and Gladio grew up together and no matter how many times he wanted to end their friendship he never could because it had just been too long. He already accepted Gladio whether he wanted to or not. Plus, their parents would have forced them to make up anyway. Could he live with knowing Nyx would always be there? Was Nyx always going to be there? 

 

Ignis told his story and it was heavier than Noctis had thought it would be. Noctis was prepared to hear a hot bodied romance turned psychotic not this; not a relationship turned sour by grieving. He thumbed through the pages of the album taking in the sight of the two families together. _High school Ignis...damn,_ Noctis knows he should be serious right now but he can’t completely focus when the pictures he’s looking at keep affirming that Ignis has always been his type. There’s a picture of just Ignis and Nyx’s sister where she is hugging him from the side looking up at him lovingly. He feels his face twitch.

 

“She was in love with you right?” Noctis blurts out. 

 

Ignis’ eyes open wider than Noctis thought possible. “Most definitely not! She was like a sibling to me.” Ignis’ fingers nervously grip the fabric of his trousers. He knows she wasn’t in love with him that whole time but being the fair and open minded person Ignis is he gives Noctis’ statement a fair assessment. He remembers the late night phone calls when she couldn’t sleep. How they often held hands or held one another close. It’s true he doted on her more than any other woman in his life but that was to be expected with how they were raised. 

 

Right?

 

“She couldn’t have been…” Ignis trails off. 

 

Noctis places his hand on top of Ignis’. At first Ignis tries to pull away, still unsure of whether he’s pissed at the other man for pointing this out or if he just needs some time to think. Eventually his fingers uncurl and Noctis is looking directly at him. 

 

“Hey, hey..” Noctis removes Ignis’ glasses and strokes his cheek. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe it’s my jealousy talking. I didn’t know you back then so who am I to say anything?” 

 

Ignis shakes his head. “But I’ve just told you the story and you’re looking at the pictures. If that is the impression you get not having known us all then maybe you are able to see what we couldn’t.” 

 

“If I’m right then what will it change Ignis? Would things have been different back then if you knew?” 

 

They both know the answer is no. Noctis assumes that Nyx’s sister was either too shy or maybe she could tell there was something between Ignis and her brother from long before she discovered her own feelings. Ignis knows he couldn’t have treated her better than he had. He just hopes and prays that she felt how much her cared for her. 

 

“Ahh- anyway. That’s the whole of it.” Ignis turns his body to give Noctis his full attention. “Are you upset?”

 

_This guy, out of all questions he could ask me._

 

Noctis increases the space between them and folds his arms over his chest. This startles Ignis who is feeling extremely vulnerable and exposed but nevermind that because Noctis is still determined to make Ignis fall head over heels for him. 

 

“Well I was pretty humiliated when you chose that douchebag-- I’m sorry I know you guys have a long past-- over me. He looked at me like I didn’t even have a shot with you.” 

 

“I’m so sorry Noctis, you know that’s not the case…”

 

“And I stayed up worried about you but you went and vented to Gladio of all people.” 

 

“Gladio just happened to be there and he’s been a great friend..”

 

“Then I invite you to my place and you didn’t once mention you lived in the same building.” 

 

“Ok now, that’s just for precaution. If you had turned out to be crazy then..”

 

Noctis glares at Ignis with an accusing look that stops the other man mid sentence. Ignis clasps his hands together with Noctis’. 

 

“I am so so sorry. Let me make it up to you with dinner this evening. You may leave anytime you like if you feel this is a waste. But I will tell you Noct, regardless of how this turns out I’m happy that I was able to make all these mistakes with you.” _He’s so sincere. I don’t deserve him._

 

Noctis straightens his posture and puts on his best smile. 

 

“Hmm but mistakes are meant to be corrected. I’m sure I can think of some things we can do to make sure they never happen again.” What a prime time for Noctis to adjust the belt holding his pants up.

 

The tone of Noctis’ voice makes Ignis blush and turn away. He stands and dusts off bits of cracker that have settled on him and excuses himself to the kitchen. 

 

************

 

“That’s a wrap!”

 

Prompto lets out a the longest exhale and sprawls his body across the pavement. He’s usually the first one to tell people that you have to suffer a little to create something beautiful but the model he was working with today just wasn’t getting her expression right and the angle he needed forced him to contort his body into a squiggle. Sometimes the blonde thought that he’d make a good model, he knew he could hold a position forever. But show his body? Eh, that was a no go for him so behind the camera he went. 

 

7:32pm. Prompto puts his phone back in his pocket and makes his way to his car. The sun is already starting to set and it will take him at least an hour to get back to the city from where he’s at. Hammerhead has a decent diner. He thinks about grabbing some food while he’s there then decides against it; by the time he finishes eating it’ll be dark and he’d rather not make a long trek at night. 

 

“I hate bugs,” he whispers to himself as he slams the car door shut. The thought of ramming into some big country insects on the freeway at night is not appealing at all. Once the car starts Prompto turns his radio up a little louder. Music always makes the time pass faster. He puts on his favorite playlist and sings his way to the city. 

 

It’s not long before he pulls into the gates of Insomnia. Due to past tensions with neighboring areas Insomnian’s voted to have a checkpoint installed before anyone could return to the city. The dial on Prompto’s fuel gauge is dangerously low so he says a small prayer in hopes that this will be a quick pass. 

 

“Where you coming from?” A light shines bright in his freckled face and he’s blind, absolutely blind. He frantically starts rubbing his face and waving his hands. 

 

“Watch how close you shine that dude! I can’t even see now, you better take responsibility if I hit someone pulling out of here!” 

 

Just before all the bubbles and clouds fade from his vision he spits out, “I’m coming from Hammerhead.”

 

There’s no reply, only silence and of course Prompto already knows why because he can see now. 

 

“H-hey Cor…” 

 

“Pull in and park over there.” 

 

“Yes sir.” 

 

********

 

_Well this is an interesting turn of events_. Prompto plays with the kebab in his hand staring at Cor as he downs a beer. If it wasn’t for his loud ass stomach (and smart ass mouth) then he’d probably be face planted in bed by now. _Oh well,_ Prompto takes a look at Cor and suddenly wishes he didn’t leave his camera in the car. The way the streetlight is hitting the officer brings out the prominent features in his face. A chiseled jaw, serious eyes, just enough shadows to look mysterious without being scary. _But he is scary,_ Prompto thinks. He takes a bite of his kebab desperately racking his brain for a topic he can throw out there to make the silence a little more bearable. 

 

“Why are you always so jittery around me?” Cor asks unexpectedly. 

 

“Umma, um.. No.. what?” 

 

Cor exhales. “See? There. Did I do something to you when you and Noctis were younger?” 

 

“No, not at all!” Prompto waves his hands. “This is just how I am.. I mean..”

 

Cor scoots a little closer. “You flinched.” 

 

“No I didn’t.”

 

“Yes, you did.” 

 

Prompto’s face is red and he doesn’t know what do or say. _Yes Cor, I’ve been deathly afraid of you since we met. You never smile, why not try smiling…_ He thinks a little bit harder on that last part and figures he’s already blown it all this far might as well go for it..

 

“Ok, well I was thinking.. Why don’t you ever smile?”

 

Cor looks at him puzzled. “I smile.” 

 

“No you don’t.” Prompto can feel himself relaxing a little. “Since I’ve known you I’ve never seen you smile.”

 

“I’ve smiled at all of Noctis’ birthdays.” Cor’s face is as still as stone.

 

“Sorry, I’m sure you haven’t. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever even heard you laugh.”

 

“Say something funny.”

 

“What?”

 

“Say something funny and I’ll laugh.”

 

“Dude! Too much pressure!” Prompto starts laughing without realizing for the first time he’s actually laughing _at_ Cor. Cor watches as tears well at the corner of Prompto’s eyes at his expense. 

 

“Tch. You’re laughing plenty for the both of us.” 

 

The blonde calms down, wipes his eyes, and takes a sip of his water before answering. “I’m sorry it’s just-- do you have to be so stiff?” 

 

Cor shifts a little in his seat giving Prompto a good view of his collar bone through his unbuttoned uniform shirt. “I’m here with you, off the clock, and out of uniform.” 

 

“Yeah and so am I but look at me,” Prompto motions at himself from head to toe. “Loose as a noodle.” 

 

Cor brings his hand to his face slowly dragging it from his eyes down to his mouth before erupting in laughter. The sound is foreign to Prompto and he’s not sure if he’s about to receive a strike to the head or if Cor’s sense of humor is far beyond him. 

 

“That’s not a great thing to brag about you know, Blondie.” 

 

Cor stares at him as he processes what exactly it is that he said before all the laughing and…

“ _Oh gods_ ,” the freckles on his cheeks drown one by one in a sea of red. “You know that’s not what I meant and for the record I am more tight than loose thank you very much.” Cor starts laughing again and Prompto wishes he was blessed with the talent of knowing when to shut up. 

 

“See? Not so hard right? Say something funny and I’ll laugh.” They both get up at the same time pushing their cheap chairs back so that they scrape along the floor. The older man tosses a few gil on the table. “Don’t worry about it. My treat for freaking you out all these years.”

 

Prompto puts his wallet back in his pocket and is dumbfounded when he locks eyes with the officer. 

 

“What?” Cor asks slowly checking behind him in case there was someone there. 

 

“You’re smiling.”

 

“Well I did just laugh for a minute straight.”

 

“You’re not laughing now.” 

 

Cor furrows his brows. “No, I guess I’m not.” 

 

Prompto should really just say thank you and get the hell on home but he keeps staring. It’s a little weird but Cor’s been in the service for a while-- he’s seen much stranger than this. 

 

“You’re still smiling.” 

 

Cor moves closer to inspect Prompto’s face. “Yeah, is that a problem?” 

 

Without thinking Prompto places his hands on the man’s chest and inches upwards on the tips of his toes. 

 

Cor’s smile is replaced with a look of concern. He doesn’t touch the blonde but instead in a low voice, one lower than Prompto was used to hearing, there’s a rumble of his name- “Prompto..”

 

Instantly Prompto is snapped out of his daze. He’s jumped about 5 feet back knocking over the condiments on the rickety little table they were eating on. 

 

“Gods, I’m sorry Cor! Brain lapse or something! Sorry…” he starts taking strides towards his car. “I’ll see you soon… or maybe not soon..” he backs into a person and humbly bows his head in apology. “Thank you for dinner!” Prompto’s voice squeaks at the end and Cor can’t figure out what just happened. 

 

He’s curious. 

_More tight than loose,_ he thinks laughing to himself. _He’s going to get himself caught up into some trouble one day._


End file.
